Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Moonracer comes from south-facing blocks on the estate in Stags Leap and is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. The tannins here are a step up, and this beauty boasts a gorgeous nose of red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, violets, and spice. It’s a more elegant, medium to full-bodied, seamless wine, accurately described as an iron fist in a velvet glove by winemaker Benoit Touquette. The balance is spot on, and it has plenty of up-front appeal, yet it’s going to evolve gracefully for 20-25 years with no issues. Best After 2021
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Moonracer comes exclusively from Realm’s Stags Leap estate vineyard, completely farmed by the Realm team. The blend this year is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.